Machine for casting storage battery plates



Jaim- 1932- J. N. DAVIS MACHINE FOR CASTING STORAGE BATTERY PLATES Filed Feb. 10, 1950 3 Sheets-Sheet $59 5? A4 5/4 /45 WM (1110: l cg;

Jan. 19, 1%32. J N v s 1,841,881

MACHINE FOR CASTING STORAGE BATTERY PLATES Filed Feb. 10, 1930 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 i I J7 BI/i3 .17 30 3 UCIUBEIUEI .53 5 uuuuuuuu 1 nun [j I ll HI'IHF m 1| Inn 1H UUUUUUU gin wanted jan. 19, E932. J N @AVIS MACHINE FOR CASTING STORAGE BATTERY PLATES Filed Feb. 10, 1930 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 Cir Patented Jan. 19, 1932 UNITED STATES JASPER N. DAVIS, OF DENVER, COLORADO MACHINE FOR CASTING STORAGE BATTERY PLATES Application filed February 10, 1930. Serial No. 427,186.

This invention relates to a continuous casting machine more particularly designed as an improvement over the machine 1llustrat ed in applicants Patent No. l,736, 308 for casting storage battery plates or grids 1n a continuous series.

The principal object of the machine is to provide a highly efiicient construction which will continuously convert a stream of molten metal into a connected series of castings.

Another object of the invention is to rovide means for regulating the flow or eed of the molten metal to accommodate the speed of the machine and the speed of setting of the metal.

A further object of the invention is to provide a construction for supplying the molten metal to the molds which will automatically accommodate for wear and maintain a permanently tight joint.

Other objects and advantages reside in the detail construction of the invention, which is designed for simplicity, economy, and efficiency. These will become more apparent from the following description.

In the following detailed description of the invention reference is had to the accompanying drawings which form a part hereof. Like numerals refer to like parts in all views of the drawings and throughout the description.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of the improved casting machine with the supporting framework omitted for the sake of clearness.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged horizontal section taken on the line 2-2, Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a similarly enlarged fragmentary vertical section taken on the line 3-3, Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 illustrates an alternate method of driving the molds.

Fig. 5 illustrates the alternate type of mold employed in the form of Fig. 4.

The invention comprises two endless series of co-acting molds 10 which are secured together by means of connecting links 11. Each series of molds 10 travels over a pair of upper drive sprockets 12 and a similar air of lower idler sprockets 13. The sproc ets 12 and 13 are supported upon shafts 14 which are journaled in any suitable supporting frame (not illustrated), and engage rollers 16 which project from the molds. The ob ject of driving from the upper sprockets is to cause the molds 10 to be pushed together as they move downwardly on the co-acting sides of the series and prevent leakage of the metal between the molds.

The face of each mold carries the design which it is desired to cast. The back of each 60 mold 10 is hollow, as illustrated in Fig. 2, so as to lighten them and cause them to collect and radiate heat more rapidly. The sides and ends of the molds are raised and provided with slots 18 for the reception of 05 the connecting links 11. The links 11 are secured to the adjacent molds 10 upon hinge pins 15. The hinge pins project to the outside of each mold and are each provided with a pair of rollers 16 and 17.

As illustrated each face of a pair of coacting molds 10 carries one-half the thickness of a battery plate design, such as indicated at 19, Fig. 3. Thus, when two co-acting molds are together a complete battery plate mold is formed. Gates are formed in the adjusting mold as indicated at 20 so as to connect the series of castings into a single continuous casting.

The continuous casting flows from the bottom of the machine as indicated at A in Fig. .1. To assist in loosening the casting from the mold faces a pair of pulling sprockets or rolls 21 may be provided which will continuously draw the casting downward and pull it away from the separating mold faces.

It will be noted that the molds contact as they move downwardly at the center of the machine. Molten metal isfed between the contacting faces of the molds from a main metal reservoir 22. The reservoir 22 is positioned at the top of the machine, which is provided with a hood 23 to collect heat from the machine to assist in heating the metal in the reservoir. Suitable gas jets 24 or other heating means 25 are installed immediately below the reservoir 22.

The metal flows from the reservoir 22 through control valves 26 and flexible metal hoses 27 to containers 28 at each side of the machine, that is, there are two valves 26, two

hoses 27, and two containers 28. From the containers 28 the metal flows throu h flow valves 29 and metal hoses 30 througi mold plates 31, there being a mold plate 31 at each side of the machine.

The mold plates 31 have beveled ed es as shown in Fig. 2 and are constantly forced into a continuous beveled recess formed by cutting back the face portion of each of the molds 10, as indicated at 32. The mold lates 31 are constantly pressed into this beveled recess 32, so as to insure a tight joint with the molds, by means of compression springs 33 which act against frame members 34.

The frame members 34 support vertical posts 35 against which a second series of compression springs 36 act to force tracks 37 against the rollers 17 of the passing molds to constantly maintain the co-acting faces in tight contact. It will be noted, by this construction the tightness of the joint between the co-acting mold faces and between the mold plates 31 and the molds is not effected by wear between these various parts. The springs 34 and 36 will expand to accommodate for all such wear.

The height of the molten metal in the continuous series of closed molds can be controlled by raising or lowering the containers 28, which for this purpose are carried upon cables 38 suspended from drums 39 on an adjusting shaft 40.

The operator can note at all times the height of the molten metal through sight glasses 41 carried by the mold plates 31 at each side of the machine. Should he note that the metal is flowing too rapidly and that there is a possibility of it overflowing at the top of the mold line he can lower the containers 28 until the proper level is reached. Should the metal disappear in the sight glass 41 he will know that the machine is traveling faster than the metal is flowing and will raise the containers 28 until the metal again appears in the sight glasses.

During operation the metal will maintain its molten state within the hoses 27 and 30 and the containers 28. To start the machine, however, it will be necessary to heat the hoses from an outside source and to employ heaters, such as indicated at 42, for heating the containers 28. The mold series can be made any desired length to assure solidifying before leaving the mold plates 31. To assist in this, cooling coils could if desired be placed about the lower extremities of the series of co-acting molds.

The machine is particularly adapted to cast battery plates of the type illustrated in applicants Patent No. 1,685,215. This plate has a double bevel in all its cells which facilitates the withdrawal of the molds at the bottom of the mold series.

In order to insure the co-actin molds registering with each other dowel ms 43 in one series of molds will enter simi arly positioned dowel holes in the molds of the other series.

In the form of Fig. 4, relatively large idler wheels 44 are employed for supporting the mold chains. In this form the molds comprise a mold block 45 to which is attached a mold face 46 which carries the actual mold for the casting. The mold faces 46 are separated from the mold box 45 by a layer of asbestos 47 or similar heat resisting material so that the mold faces 46 can be alternately heated and cooled without the entire mold block 45 being heated and cooled. The rear faces of the mold block 45 are provided with rack teeth 48 which travel over pinions 49. The mold blocks in the series are connected by means of links 50 which are also provided with rack teeth 51. The rack teeth 48 and 51 are of the same pitch and in alignment so that the entire series of mold blocks and links will travel over the pinions 49.

The pinions 49 are relatively wide so as to extend across the entire rear face of the mold blocks. The idler wheels 44 contact with roller sleeves 52 which surround the pivot screws 53 holding the links 50 in place. The co-acting molds are first forced together by the pinions 49 and are maintained together by means of tracks 54 which are constantly forced against the rollers 52 of the mold blocks by means of compression springs 55. In this form the mold supporting wheels 44 simply act as idlers and motion is imparted to the mold series by the pinions 49 which are driven from any suitable power source and caused to rotate in synchronism by intermeshing gears such as indicated in broken line at 56.

Suitable gas jets 57 may be employed to heat the mold faces and a second series of acetylene gas jets 58 may be employed to cover the surfaces of the molds with soot or carbon to prevent the castings from adhering thereto.

The metal may be supplied to the molds of the alternate form similarly to the manner illustrated in relation to the preferred form.

While a specific form of the improvement has been described and illustrated herein, it is desired to be understood that the same may be varied within the scope of the appended claims, without departing from the spirit of the invention.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed and desired secured by Letters Patent is 1. A continuous casting machine comprising: two vertical endless series of traveling molds adapted to contact with each other on their downwardly moving sides; means for feeding molten metal between said contacting molds adjacent the upper extremity of sai series, sa1d means comprising: mold plates contacting with the sides of said molds adja- 5 cent their contacting faces; and a conductor through said mold plates for admittin molten metal so that it will flow horizontal y into said contacting molds.

2. A continuous casting machine comprism ing: two vertical endless series of traveling molds adapted to contact with each other on their downwardly moving sides; means for feeding molten metal between said contactin molds adjacent the upper extremity of said series, said means comprising: mold plates contacting with the sides of said molds adj acent their contacting faces; a conductor through said mold plates for admitting molten metal so that it will flow horizontally into said contacting molds; and a sight glass in said mold plates to expose said molten metal. 3. Means for maintaining any desired height of molten metal between two vertical series of traveling molds comprising: a metal reservoir; a metal container; conduits between said reservoir and said container and between said container and said molds; and means for raising and lowering said container. 4. In a continuous casting machine, a mold; slots formed in said mo d; connecting links extending between the slots of adjacent molds to form a connected series of molds; pins extending through said slots and through said links; and rollers carried by said pins beyond the ends of said molds.

In testimony whereof, I aflix my signature.

JASPER N. DAVIS. 

